Thread: 10.8V cordless drill/drivers

I purchased a Makita Drill / Impact Driver set 2 years ago whilst owner-building my house. I have used them for a variety of indoor and outdoor tasks, mainly in framing pine and treated pine.

I have used the drill with a 25mm spade bit in pine, though this is probably pushing the capacity of the drill a little bit. Similarly, I have used the impact driver to put 14 gauge bugle head screws into treated pine sleepers, which although possible, takes a while and thus chews through the battery.

The impact driver was also used to fix my balustrade posts to hardwood decking. I have also used the drill to fasten roofing screws - again, probably a bit more than the tool was designed for, but it did the job.

I found the tools very handy for tight spaces (especially the driver) and more than adequate for screws up to 8-10 gauge. It is also preferable to a 14.4 or 18V drill weight-wise if you are working up a ladder or awkwardly inside a cabinet.

For light duty drilling and fixing, 10.8 V are more than adequate. My Cabinet maker father in law helped me out on the house using his old 9.6V Makitas and commented that if he wasn't retired, he would have probably bought one of the 10.8v Drills for work.

Dion,

Thank you for the great wrap on the Makita - it sounds like you pushed the limits quite a bit. I am replacing an old 7.2 and 9.6V pair, which are ancient artifacts compared with the latest generation. I figure it is not worth replacing/repacking the batteries once again as the Li Ion technology and the drill itself has come on immeasurably. I do have heavy duty Pana 15.6 kits for the hard work and am also in a 10-year owner build process.

Did you find the impact driver useful? They are often offered in kits with the drill, but I was not sure why you would use a small impact, as distinct from a 14.4 or 18V unit.

Has anyone else had experience with the Bosch blue 10.8V unit?

BR,

Fraser

Originally Posted by Dion N

I purchased a Makita Drill / Impact Driver set 2 years ago whilst owner-building my house. I have used them for a variety of indoor and outdoor tasks, mainly in framing pine and treated pine.

I have used the drill with a 25mm spade bit in pine, though this is probably pushing the capacity of the drill a little bit. Similarly, I have used the impact driver to put 14 gauge bugle head screws into treated pine sleepers, which although possible, takes a while and thus chews through the battery.

The impact driver was also used to fix my balustrade posts to hardwood decking. I have also used the drill to fasten roofing screws - again, probably a bit more than the tool was designed for, but it did the job.

I found the tools very handy for tight spaces (especially the driver) and more than adequate for screws up to 8-10 gauge. It is also preferable to a 14.4 or 18V drill weight-wise if you are working up a ladder or awkwardly inside a cabinet.

For light duty drilling and fixing, 10.8 V are more than adequate. My Cabinet maker father in law helped me out on the house using his old 9.6V Makitas and commented that if he wasn't retired, he would have probably bought one of the 10.8v Drills for work.

As far as I can see, there's little to choose between Makita & Bosch, as both have very similar features, and both boast extensive ranges of other 10.8v tools. Perhaps it's Bosch by a nose due to its 3 year warranty (batteries excepted).

I've gone down a similar path also, and almost purchased Bosh as all my other cordless tools are 18v & 36v Bosch Li-Ion. My Baby SDS and Grinder in particular are absolute corkers, and the rest are just as good as most others, and better than most.

However, I've been reconsidering of late, as I've just explored Metabo's range. It just oozes quality in a way that makes even the baby Festool 10.8v drill look crude by comparison. There's a mere 4 tools available: drill, rattler, saber/hack saw, and caulking gun. But the first 3 (all that I've been able to handle) are just superb. Apparently, only the Hitachi 10.8v drill has more guts. It runs rings around the others, and has a beautifully engineered clip-on right angle attachment that actually works and is easy to use, all alloy gearboxes and torque rings etc. The rattler has, as far as I'm aware, best in class tightening torque. The Saw can take BOTH saber and jigsaw blades, a first, and has an adjustable depth setting, which is an essential feature in my game (electrician).

But the absolute best feature, and the clincher in my opinion, is the battery range available: 1.5, 3.0 and 4.0ah!! With the latter 2 bigger batteries the tools will stand up properly on their battery bases, an essential feature in my opinion, and offer the runtime to be truly useful professional tools. Another sweetener is that Metabo offers a full 3 year warranty on the entire kit: tool, chuck, batteries and charger. No other manufacturer has such confidence in their tools! The last big plus is that Metabo's 10.8v radio is the only one on the market that also plugs into 240v - and charges!!

Both Bosch and Makita offer bigger ranges, and Milwaukee's range of 10.8v tools is absolutely huge! But nobody else even approaches Metabo's quality. Now all I need is for the manager of the household exchequer to loosen the purse strings a little...

I'm not sure what I would use the 10.8V impact driver for if I had a 14.4 or 18V version... but I don't, so it gets used for anything that requires screwing up tight!

But I'm sure there are plenty of jobs where a smaller, lighter tool will let you drive screws all day with less fatigue than using a larger tool.

I've an 18v rattler (Bosch), which I don't use all that much. It's just too powerful for most of my driving tasks as an electrician, plus much of what I'm fixing is delicate: plastics, expensive fittings etc. I'm not the most delicate with my trigger control, especially if I'm using it left-handed. Colleagues use them all the time, but I find the risk of damage just too great.

This is where the small size ( being "pocketable" for use on ladders etc.) and lower power of 10.8v tools would be a blessing. Of course, nothing beats a full size rattler for roofing screws, lags etc.

I have Bosch 10.8V, the GDR impact driver and the GWI angle driver, and they've quickly earned favoured status. The battery capacity isn't high, and you chew through it pretty quickly with the impact driver, but no complaints with the angle driver. Bought a set of Makita hex shank drill bits to use with it, I really can't fault it. Good for tight spaces, with the variable angle head.

I've never been a fan of cordless drills, but these have converted me.

Just in Germany at the moment for Metabo shop conference/ octoberfest & seen some pretty good stuff coming out to add to there 10.8 v range, the new one handed recipro saw that also take jigsaw blades was very impressive & the new 4ah battery was also great

I've got the de walt 10.8 cordless drill and impact driver. I use them around the workshop, and a bigger cordless drill for stuff around the house.

Well, I did till I got the de walt, now I just use them for everything. My panasonic 15.6v is a bit old now and the batts aren't what they used to be. Couldn't be happier with them.

The only issue with the rattler is the noise. I don't think it is particulary bad for a rattler, but it makes a lot of noise if you are screwing inside a cabinet. only did that once!

Trav

I've just purchased the Dewalt 10.8v drill & impact driver & though I haven't had much opportunity to use the impact driver the drill has all but replaced my Hitachi 18v purely on size/weight & ease of use, I wont throw out the Hitachi but it will only be used where I need a bit more power.
I have been using the Trade tools Renegade brand 10.8v for a couple of years but the Dewalt is far superior in power and comfort.
Cheers Rumnut

Originally Posted by VEK TOOLS

Just in Germany at the moment for Metabo shop conference/ octoberfest & seen some pretty good stuff coming out to add to there 10.8 v range, the new one handed recipro saw that also take jigsaw blades was very impressive & the new 4ah battery was also great

I'm interested to hear firstly what your users of the Metabo system think, and secondly whether the Metabo drill is, as I suspect, far superior in "professional" use to the rather crude Festool.

Also, what else is in store from Metabo?